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Working Group on Household Food SecurityLaBouisse Hall, UNICEF, 3 UN Plaza, New York, Wednesday 24 March 2004 1130-1300 Co-Chaired by Kraisid Tontisirin (FAO), Shakuntala Thilsted (Denmark) and Lawrence Haddad (IFPRI) BackgroundThe co-chairing system adopted in the summer of 2002 for the Household Food Security Working Group was maintained and close communication was ensured by Email throughout the year. The recommended workshop to share experiences on HFS for better nutrition did not materialise given the conflicting workload and constraints in resources of key actors. Particular attention was given to the MDG process and in particular to the work of the Hunger Task Force. A background paper entitled “Achieving MDGs : How can the SCN Working Group on Household Food Security contribute?” was prepared by the Working Group Secretariat for the 31st session of the SCN. Speakers for the WG session were identified and contacted to provide complementary perspectives within the common approach recommended. WG/HFS SessionThe session was chaired by Lawrence Haddad, IFPRI who briefly introduced the topic, linking it to the findings of the 5th Report on the World Nutrition Situation. This was followed by a general presentation by Kraisid Tontisirin and Florence Egal, FAO on the contribution of the working group to the achievement of the MDGs, based on the background paper. Sean Kennedy and Patrick Webb reported on recent work by IFAD and WFP on Result and Impact Based Management for Household Food Security. Joergen Georg Jensen, Senior Technical Adviser (Agriculture and Nutrition), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark, shared his experience and concerns with respect to incorporating food and nutrition security within the agricultural sector programme of the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA). Rosanna Agble Head of Nutrition, Ghana Health Service presented her perspective with respect to the challenges facing governmental institutions in addressing the multi-sectoral issues of household food security and attaining the Millennium Development Goals. Shakuntala Thilsted, co-chair, opened the general discussion. Participants agreed that specific attention should be given to sustainable (and in particular affordable and culturally appropriate) solutions at local level. Progress in improving household food security would not depend so much on new technical interventions per se, but on processes. In particular, communication and collaboration at all levels - local, national, regional, global - within and between institutions (government, academic centres, NGOs, CSOs), and funding and planning modalities are the main challenge. The need for and difficulties in collaboration between health and agriculture was given as an example. Stakeholders need to adopt a people-centred approach and focus on simple common principles as a basis for concrete, creative and effective dialogue between partners. Local organisations have a key role to play and should not be considered as recipients. Exchange of information and lessons learnt is essential to further the local process. Recommendations for SCN action in the coming yearThe group concluded that it should concentrate on the following activities in the coming months:
Participants agreed that since nutrition is key to most MDG goals, the MDG process is due to increase attention and support to nutrition at global and country level. The SCN, and in particular the WG/HFS, should play a key role in the process, by harnessing the experience and lessons learnt by UN agencies, bilaterals and NGO/CSOs in promoting household food security and nutrition in the last decades.
Given the limited time available, participants had no time to discuss the modalities for implementation of these recommendations. This will be done by EMail or on the telephone in the coming weeks. Presentations made at the Working Group:
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